this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 82 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

One of my favorite things in life is using Latin or Greek plurals on words that it makes absolutely no sense to use them on, and do not follow the rules of any language naturally involved.

I had steak and potati for dinner last night. Just one steak, though, I cannot eat multiple steakices

[–] dropcase@lemmy.world 47 points 2 weeks ago

Reminds me of a joke:

A Roman soldier walks into a bar and says, "I'll have a martinus"

Bartender says, "don't you mean a martini?"

The Roman says. "if I wanted more than one I would've asked for it!"

[–] lemmyartistforhire@lemmy.world 31 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I also do this! My personal top 3 are:

Jesus - Jesi

Bus - Bi

Penis - Penorum

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Penis - Penorum

WROOOOONG! Now write the full declension table on that wall. And make sure to draw some pictures with it, so you never forget the word! :-p

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

People called Romanes, they go, the house?!

[–] lemmyartistforhire@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's the genitive! Genitive! Which makes the plural.. um! Penum! Penum! Romanorum penum amplitudines non magni sunt!

c===3, c===3, c===3.

Poetry was made today.

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[–] HamsterRage@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

For decades now, my wife and I have used "Kleeni" as the plural of "Kleenex".

[–] Tortellinius@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

Kleenex is Kneenes according to the rules of Latin, actually

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[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

Looks like you beat us to level 7

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[–] Derpenheim@lemmy.zip 43 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Its whatever your heart is telling you.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Any mistake I make is actually just my dialect

[–] Derpenheim@lemmy.zip 14 points 2 weeks ago

Don't bother correcting my English grammar, as I have no respect for this language <3

[–] P1k1e@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

And if folks knew what you meant, it's fine

[–] Zwiebel@feddit.org 5 points 2 weeks ago

That is what 'descriptive' in level 4 means

[–] carotte@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 2 weeks ago

2Ο€: two pi

Ο€: one pus

[–] thenextguy@lemmy.world 35 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] ArcaneGadget@nord.pub 12 points 2 weeks ago

There were manny of them! Manny much octopoden!

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 34 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

American English: "All of the above are valid."

"Even 'octopussies?'"

American English: "...sure."

"even 'octopussies'?"
american english:

[–] nightofmichelinstars@sopuli.xyz 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Search engines: Sir, this is a work computer

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] trolololol@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Aham, there's some precedent

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[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's technically octopods

This is true for the scientific sense that it's order Octopoda (e.g. the plural for members of Hexapoda is "hexapods" and likewise "decapods" for Decapoda), but then it's kind of like saying the plural for "lobster" is "nephropids". The names are close for Octopoda and octopus, but it's still taking the colloquial name and pluralizing it into its scientific name. It's not specifically "to bring it in line with cephalopod"; that's just how generic names of members of taxa ending in 'poda' work generally.

Strictly speaking, "octopods" is the plural of "octopod".

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Once I learned that β€œoctopodes” is pronounced oct-TOP-o-dees not OCT-uh-pohds it became my pluralization of choice.

[–] pooberbee@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 weeks ago

Octopodes nuts

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Octopodes nuts

[–] myotheraccount@lemmy.world 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 10 points 2 weeks ago

4 Quadropus = 8 bipus

[–] ol_capt_joe@piefed.ee 18 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Now I'm afraid to but too curious not to ask where might I find the octogoose?

[–] Wild_Mastic@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

In hell, next to cerberus probably.

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[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Student: "language is prescriptive not descriptive"

Teacher: "you fail 3rd grade spelling"

And I absolutely support keeping people back who believe English should be guided and evolved through "Likes".

[–] antonim@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

Putting aside the technicalities (it is not language that is prescriptive or descriptive, but linguistics), that's a widespread position among perfectly literate people, including professional linguists. Nothing to do with the number of "likes".

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[–] makeshiftreaper@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Octopussies is actually the name for a harem of Maud Adams clones

[–] matelt@feddit.uk 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

my my my, what a cunning linguist!

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[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Just like meese is the plural of moose

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 6 points 1 week ago

No cheeses for us meeces :(

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[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So... 2 cephalopods, 1 cephalopus ?

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[–] tiredofsametab@fedia.io 5 points 2 weeks ago

I thought it was octopuxen?

[–] MithranArkanere@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Level 10: all forms are valid as long as enough people use them. The currently most used forms are octopuses and octopi, both valid, but octopi is malformed, so octopuses is preferred. Octopussses and octopii and rare variants of those. Also correct, but rarely used.
Octopodes is also correct, but considered pedantic.

Level 11: Just use what you are used to.

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

As a native greek speaker, I find anything other than "octopuses" to be silly. In greek we don't say (any more) octopodes, we say "chtapodia" (the "ch" is the canonical (ELOT) transliteration of the letter Ο‡).

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[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It should just refer to the number of tentacles. So, for two of them, it would be sΔ“decimpus

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[–] YoiksAndAway@piefed.zip 5 points 2 weeks ago

Next, we pronounce "apoptosis".

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 weeks ago
[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I do like octopods. I will use that from now on and you can't stop me.

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[–] BoosBeau@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Call 'em whatever you like, they're all octobussies to me.

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